Higher Stakes NL - LAG a must?

[LethalRose]

this is probably a dumb question but...

whenever I venture up to the mid - high stakes game forum it seems everyone plays a LAG. Is it really the best way to play once you get up to the higher stakes game? Is it impossible to play tight?

from what ive seen they raise a lot and see a lot of flops, but after that they generally give up on their hands if shown aggression. this is from watching a lot of 10/20.

[Voltron87]

i havent played the 1K on party, but ive played tons of 5/5. 5/5/10, and 10/25 live. I don't think you have to be a LAG at all, but you have to take advantage of players who are too tight and keep people guessing. you dont have to raise with T7o all the time or as much as a real LAG, but you have to do it occaisionally so you dont become predictable.


short answer, no. but you have to take advantage of tight players and be somewhat unpredictable.

TAG is fine provided you got the AG down pat.

You won't be the biggest winner but you can be a winner.

[GoCubsGo]

If TAG will not be the biggest winner, what will? LAG may make more money, but it would also lose the most. Is LAG optimal play for higher limits?

[theben]

you can play tight and win. you can try to be a 'TAG' if that is your comfort zone. the key is to not be predictable. you can play tightly but not in a predictable manner.

[LethalRose]

yea, playing a lag is definately more variance, on 10/20 i saw a player lose 10k when he went all in vs a set, it was very obvious he was beat to me.

[Marlow]

There has been some great discussion around this on the MHNL forum as of late. I'd give you a few links, but the best thing to do is just go back through the last 2 weeks or so and you'll find at least 15 - 20 relevant threads on LAG play.

But here's the gist of what's been said:
1. you can't win in a shorthanded game if you can't adapt to LAG play
2. both TAG and LAG will get the money, but it absolutely necessary for any player to be able to change gears and styles effortlessly. players who can't do this cannot win in the bigger games
3. LAG style has much greater varience
4. LAG play is more demanding and tiring
5. It's easier to tilt when playing a LAG style

With that said, I don't think that there's been a real concensus about this yet. In fact, I'm not sure that there's been general agreement about what, exactly, it means to be a LAG.

MArlow

[pokerjoker]

I watched some 10/20 party today. on 15 hands 3 flops seen, 0 turns seen. I didnt understand at all. 3x bb raises were winning pf. Maybe it was just a fluke though.

Also I think the key to winning poker ising LAG or TAG or anything, it is simply to play your opponents and have them not be able to play you. If you are consistantly playing like and 3 letter abbreviation you are not maximizing profits IMO.

[yvesaint]

I don't think playing LAG is a must, but knowing how to play aggressive and, at times, loose, is very necessary for every short-handed and mid-high stakes NL player. And, especially, knowing when. At full-ring, I think playing solid TAG can be a very easy and sure way to make a nice profit.

[snappo]

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showflat.php?Cat=&Number=3313830&page=0&view=colla psed&sb=5&o=14&fpart=1

[aK13]

I think the reason why u perceive it as LAG is that if you play tight, your hand range is basically 2 big broadway cards or a big PP, for example if you raise preflop. This makes it very easy to read your hand, so I think you need to mix in some other hands to make your hand less predictable.

[Allinlife]

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http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showflat.php?Cat=&Number=3313830&page=0&view=colla psed&sb=5&o=14&fpart=1

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[LethalRose]

[ QUOTE ]
I think the reason why u perceive it as LAG is that if you play tight, your hand range is basically 2 big broadway cards or a big PP, for example if you raise preflop. This makes it very easy to read your hand, so I think you need to mix in some other hands to make your hand less predictable.

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in order for this to take affect, i have to have the hand i raised with shown down, if im raising 72o and take the pot on the flop i could just as easily have aces to my opponents. Maybe you have to show?

[BobboFitos]

this is ridiculous, good play earns money. good play can be brought on many ways. good lag play is one way. it is not the only way.

[xorbie]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I think the reason why u perceive it as LAG is that if you play tight, your hand range is basically 2 big broadway cards or a big PP, for example if you raise preflop. This makes it very easy to read your hand, so I think you need to mix in some other hands to make your hand less predictable.

[/ QUOTE ]


in order for this to take affect, i have to have the hand i raised with shown down, if im raising 72o and take the pot on the flop i could just as easily have aces to my opponents. Maybe you have to show?

[/ QUOTE ]

If you raise enough drawing/marginal hands PF (45s, 66, etc) , you will eventually flop well enough to show one down in a big pot or your oponent will play passively enough with a decent hand where you show one down in a small pot (and lose).

[APatterson]

I would say your opponent's bad play earns money. You can cause your opponents to make bigger mistakes if you are unpredictable. LAG play can be very unpredictable especially post-flop when the bigger bets go in. Certainly most of the tight play at the SSNL is very predictable (not all though /images/graemlins/smile.gif)

if you all play the same, you all earn nothing.

[IamLeach]

Of course I agree whith our Mod, but I would also like to say that If you can take the pot down by raising 72o then keep that in mind. The more pots you steal the more suspicious your opponants will be, this is especially true of the higher stakes. So if you keep at it then you get called...then you follow Xorbies advice.